Chapter 5: Regrouping Series Quest
Chapter 5: Chapter 5: Regrouping Series Quest
As long as Xia Xiqing hadn’t graduated, she was the undisputed campus belle of Provincial University. Whether on the university’s internal forums or external message boards, a few candid photos of her everyday life were enough to anchor any thread.
It was worth noting that Provincial University was divided into multiple campuses, boasting a massive total enrollment of over seventy thousand students! Generally speaking, each campus had its own reigning goddess. After all, no matter how beautiful the goddesses from other campuses were, students rarely saw them in person.
Furthermore, beauty was in the eye of the beholder. It was hard to establish a clear standard—some preferred the pure look, some liked a sultry vibe, and others favored a cute, youthful appearance. Someone like Xia Xiqing, who could sweep the entire university and win over the vast majority, was practically one of a kind. (Granted, this was only tracking back to when the internet became highly developed, which wasn’t that many years ago.)
Beauty was a wildcard—as long as it wasn’t played alone, any combination resulted in an unbeatable hand. And Xia Xiqing was exactly that kind of blessed girl who possessed far more than just her looks.
Her status as a wealthy heiress made her highly sought after. Her supermodel-like figure drew endless envy. Her aloof, elegant, and sophisticated aura left people mesmerized. Her nationally awarded painting skills commanded absolute respect... Xia Xiqing was the literal embodiment of almost everyone’s dream goddess!
If one absolutely had to find a flaw, it was the rumor that she was an A-cup. However, her usual style of dress was relatively conservative, making it hard to discern her true figure, so it could have just been a rumor. Since she didn’t live in the campus dorms or use the public bathhouses, no one even knew where the gossip originated. Unless someone actually got their hands on her, it was impossible to verify. As the popular internet saying went, "I don’t believe it unless you let me touch."
Getting the WeChat of a goddess-level figure like her was undeniably difficult. It was no wonder Brother Gan had immediately started swearing earlier. Zhang Yan naturally knew this, so he immediately replied, "Don’t be like that, Brother Gan! I’ll treat you to barbecue tonight!"
Brother Gan seemed to struggle for a moment before replying.
"Goddess Xia’s WeChat used to be so exclusive that supposedly only the homeroom teacher and the class monitor had it. That alone shows how precious it is.
"Recently, Goddess Xia suddenly joined the class group chat and started adding a few classmates she found pleasing to the eye. She even started accepting gifts.
"A lot of people are privately saying that the goddess has finally developed worldly desires and wants to date.
"Now, her WeChat is harder to get than gold!
"So, you little punk, you think you can buy Goddess Xia’s WeChat with a single barbecue meal?"
"Two meals," Zhang Yan replied.
This time, Brother Gan was silent for even longer. He seemed to be waging a fierce internal battle. "You’re not taking me to some cheap roadside stand, are you?"
"Of course not!" Zhang Yan answered. "I heard there’s a newly opened barbecue joint not far from here. The owner is supposedly an internet celebrity, and people say the food is pretty good."
Brother Gan didn’t hesitate this time. "Deal. I have to go out and sketch during the day, but I’ll find you tonight. We’ll talk then."
Speechless, Zhang Yan put down his phone. Brother Gan really was the type who wouldn’t budge without a guaranteed payoff. Still, at least he had a chance now. If he ordered a few extra-large skewers for him tonight, he could probably coax the information out of him. Flipping through his contacts, he invited a few close classmates he usually played basketball with. They all knew Brother Gan, so he figured he might as well treat everyone together. Since they were all basically about to go their separate ways, this could also serve as a final farewell dinner.
Back in his rented apartment in Mengzhong, the provincial capital, Zhang Yan originally had thoughts of pursuing a master’s degree or heading to a tier-one city to hustle. After all, the current economic climate was poor and jobs were hard to find, and Mengzhong, a bottom-tier, second-rate provincial capital, didn’t offer many opportunities. However, Cheng Lu was a local. She didn’t want to leave her hometown, and she had intended for them to get married immediately. So, hopelessly blinded by love at the time, he ultimately gave up on his other options and decided to settle down and work in the provincial capital.
This current place was a single-occupancy apartment he had rented in advance. His original plan was to move into their marital home once the renovations were finished. Even though plans had changed, he had already paid this month’s rent. He might as well stay here.
He pondered, "Brother Tongzi gave me three million to enjoy life. Should I buy a house first?"
The real estate market had been sluggish lately. The average price for prime downtown properties was only around twenty thousand per square meter. With three million, he would have more than enough to outright buy even the hundred-square-meter marital home he had been dreaming about just recently.
[DING!]
[As someone who just got divorced, you have lost almost everything, but this also means your room for growth is boundlessly huge!]
[Main Quest Unlocked: Regroup and Rebuild (Quest Chain)]
[Note: Completing each task in the chain grants an independent reward. Completing them all grants a mysterious grand prize!]
[Task: Upgrade Cognition. Reward: One Property.]
[Task: Upgrade Appearance. Reward: One Luxury Watch.]
[Task: Return to Health. Reward: One Luxury Car.]
"As expected of a main quest!" Compared to the side quest’s measly reward of a hundred thousand, the very first main quest was an entire chain. Not only did it offer individual rewards, but the mysterious grand prize left Zhang Yan itching with anticipation. He wished he could complete them all immediately.
Though he didn’t know what tier the property, car, and watch rewards belonged to, given Brother Tongzi’s prestigious standards, they certainly wouldn’t be cheap. Roughly calculating, the total value would definitely surpass the three-million activation reward. That meant he really only needed to focus on how to enjoy spending that three million.
According to the system’s settings, he was currently an out-of-shape, thirty-eight-year-old middle-aged man. Therefore, the task difficulty, from lowest to highest, should be [Return to Health], [Upgrade Appearance], and [Upgrade Cognition]. Zhang Yan tapped on the [Return to Health] task first.
[A healthy body is the capital needed for a successful counterattack. After years of hard work, your current body is riddled with issues.]
[Please selectively complete the following goals:]
[Reduce weight to under 75 kilograms: Progress +20% (Completed)]
[Jog 3/5/10 kilometers daily: Progress +1%/2%/3%]
[Abstain from smoking and alcohol daily: Progress +1%. (Violation results in -1%)]
[Complete a full set of Kegel exercises daily: Progress +5%. (Persist for 10 days for a mysterious reward)]
[Current Task Progress: 20%]
He thought to himself, "Kegel exercises? I’ve heard the name, but doing a full set seems pretty tiring. The other ones are basically free points, though."
Zhang Yan hadn’t truly entered society yet. When he was at home, he mostly drank cola, and when hanging out with friends, he would have a few beers at most. He had no habit of smoking or heavy drinking. Jogging was even easier. As a recent college graduate, ten kilometers might be a stretch, but five kilometers wouldn’t be much of a problem.
Putting thought into action, he immediately searched for a Kegel exercise follow-along video. Kegel exercises mostly involved movements around the waist, abdomen, hips, buttocks, and thighs, with the ultimate goal of strengthening the pelvic floor muscles. The video lasted twenty-five minutes. Aside from the hardest frog crunches, which he struggled with slightly, the rest of the movements weren’t too difficult.
[Task: Return to Health. Progress +5%]
After resting for a bit, he went outside and ran 5,000 meters around the residential complex. Although he felt he still had some energy left, running 10,000 meters would probably be pushing it.
"Whatever. I’m just here to enjoy life. There’s no need to push myself so hard," he reasoned.
[Task: Return to Health. Progress +2%]
By the time he returned home and took a shower, it was already around three or four in the afternoon. It wouldn’t be long before he had to head out for the dinner he was hosting. At the thought of soon obtaining Xia Xiqing’s contact information, he couldn’t help but feel a little thrilled.